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English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), July 1860, Edition 1 of 1, Page 322, ( 322 )

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    • XLVII—O1T DISTRICT VISITORS AND THE DIST...
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      ( 322 )

      ( 322 )

      Xlvii—O1t District Visitors And The Dist...

      XLVII—O 1 T DISTRICT VISITORS AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF TRACTS .

      ¦ ¦ • -* &* - It Is Tlie Fasmon Of Some ...

      ¦ ¦ - _* &* - It is _tlie fasMon of some good people to complain of the _} : > oor in the same way that we find them complaining about their

      servants . When we hear these frequent bemoanings we are apt to fancy that some fault may lie at the door of mistress and visitor

      as well as of servants and poor people . That many of this latter class are dirty , improvident , and ungrateful , we cannot deny ;

      but are there no faults amongst the higher classes . , that they should bo condemned en masse ; or do not charitable people sometimes

      encourage the very evils they complain of , by indiscriminate almsivingby confounding dirt with povert - yand gratitude _with

      g , , plausibility ? A district visitor ourselves of some standing-, we have seen much of the evil of this indiscriminate alms-giving and of the

      hasty condemnatory process pursued by so many excellent people , whojuding of the poor by their rough and _uncoiirteous manners

      and , their g wretched homesteads , do not look deeper into the cause an / 1 effect of thingsbut condemn the ailing sickly mother together with

      , the confirmed drunkard , or the poacher ' s family with the poacher himself . It is an old saying that the greatest _beg'gars are the least

      in want , and if _yoii wish to help those who are indeed in need , you must search and find them out in their cottages , for in their honest

      shame it is very unlikely , unless sorely driven , that they will come to you for help .

      The village in which we are a district visitor is a rich one , boasting at least half-a-dozen gentlemen ' s residences . All , thank God ,

      true English Christian-hearted gentlemen and ladies , ready to assist distress wherever they see it , or have it pointed out to

      them . A little adverse perhaps to a systematic plan of hunting it out for themselves . The evil of the system is this . _Feggy

      Jones has got a sick husband , and the doctor has prescribed a little wine for him . Peggy Jones is quite of opinion that " the

      * quality ' ought to help the poor , or more shame to them . " She has never had any qualms about begging , so she mounts her _^ basket

      and bottle and off she starts . Mr . Vernon ' s is the first house on her road . She tells her story and some wine is instantly sent out to her ,

      but she does not return home . No , Mr . Stone ' s house is on the top of the hill , and forward goes Peggy . She does iiot ask for wine

      here , but suggests that a little meat would be very strengthening . She has it , and follows up the road to Mr . Brown ' s , where she tells a

      piteous tale of her husband ' s sufferings from cold , and how the parish pay now he is " _down" is not sufficient to buy him this luxury .

      She checks off with most marvellous fluency what , deducting' for rent ,

      t hey misery have got . Some to live coals upon are , and promised holds up her a , and iteous she picture passes on povert to the y

  • Citation
    • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), July 1, 1860, page 322, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01071860/page/34/